11th Annual Russian Heritage Month in New York

May 30 2013

RBTH

The Russian American Foundation, in cooperation with the City of New York and Mayor
Michael R. Bloomberg, is pleased to present the 11th Annual Russian Heritage Month. The Annual Russian Heritage Month, which takes place every year in June,
consists of a month-long series of events which celebrate and honor the rich
diversity of cultural traditions brought to this country from the various
regions of the former Soviet Union.

The events
which take place throughout New York
encompass public performances, exhibits, artist collaborations, sporting
competitions and promote cross-community awareness as well as a valuable
dialogue between people and cultures. The Annual Russian Heritage Festival, which takes place in Brooklyn, NY, showcases
the heritage and traditions of New
York’s Russian speaking community.

About the Russian
American Foundation

Marina Kovalyov and her
daughter Rina Kirshner founded the Russian American Foundation (RAF) in 1997. Its
mission is to encourage interest in and understanding of Russian heritage among
all communities in the US,
as well as to promote reciprocal interest in and understanding of American
heritage among global Russian-speaking communities.

The Honorable Michael A. McFaul, US Ambassador to Moscow, recently stated, "The Russian American Foundation's continued contributions
to cultural, educational, and sports programs in the United States and Russia
help foster greater understanding between the people of the United States and
the Russian Federation.”

Events program:

May 22 - November 16 (T-F, 12pm -
8pm, Sat. 10am - 5pm)

RetroSpective at the Museum at FIT (Fashion
Institute of Technology)(exhibition)

The Russian American Foundation is proud to announce the first Russian costume
piece to be introduced into the permanent collection at The Museum at FIT. The
piece is a costume ensemble from the 2004 collection Invasion from the Slava
Zaitsev Moscow Fashion House, and will be on display as part of the Museum's RetroSpective
exhibition. Zaitsev is known for his seamless integration of both Russian and
Tatar motifs into an elegant, western shape.

Nahum Tschacbasov is an
Azerbaijani-born American artist who found himself in the middle of some of America's most
seminal movements in art throughout his 60-year career. An extensive collection
from his paintings will be hosted for a limited period of time at the National
Arts Club. From the collection of Arthur T. Kalaher.

Free admission

May 17 - June 30 (Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm)

The Time of a Great Dream: American
Artists' Gift to the Jewish Autonomous Region of the USSR (exhibition)

A collection of lithographs, etchings, woodcuts, and other
artworks given as gifts to the Birobidzhan Museum of Contemporary Art will be
on display at the Harriman Institute. These gifts were given to Birobidzhan
shortly after the Soviet government established it as a new Jewish homeland, by
American artists who united to support the new settlement. From the collection of the Russian Ethnography Museum.

The Horn Orchestra of Russia is a group of brass musicians that perform in the
classical style of Imperial Russia, reviving traditions of horn music
performances popular in the 18th century. Each of the 74 unique, handmade
instruments plays a single note, producing a uniquely mesmerizing sound.

The New Names make their debut in the U.S.
with Arts Brookfield, sharing with New York audiences contemporary and
classical works by Russian, European, and American composers as well as
traditional Russian folk songs.

In honor of the 65th Anniversary of Israel , RAF and the YIVO Institute for
Jewish Research join forces for this festival featuring four films. All of the
films' directors share a Jewish Heritage and the common language of Russian. The
films to be screened include: My Father Evgeni (2010, Andrei
Zagdansky), Lost
Temple (2010, Sergey
Grankin), No One but Us (2011, Roman Shumunov), and The Territory
(2012, Dmitriy Khavin).

Admission is $10, $8 for YIVO members

June 9 (11am - 4pm)

Russian Heritage Festival in Brooklyn

Asser Levy/Seaside Park, West 5th Street,
Brooklyn

Full day of live music, dancing, performances by community youth groups, and
delicious cuisine. This annual community festival, which promotes culture,
sports, and wellness is always fun for families and friends! Special
performances by the contemporary Russian Bard, Timur Shaov and by a Russian
children's choir, The New Names. Representatives of the healthcare industry
will also be in attendance to educate visitors and provide free medical
testing.

Margarita Korol's Spoils of War commemorates the artist's mother's
1988 immigration from the Soviet Union to Chicago.
Twenty-five years after that transition, this exhibition invites all to join in
celebrating the feats of refuseniks and American activists who fought in the
name of the individual pursuit of happiness.

An exhibition of sleek sculptures, elaborate graphic works, and brilliant
jewelry that preserves the intrigue and elegant force of the time of Genghis
Khan. All works by sculptor, artist, and jeweler Dashi Namdakov, one of the
first living artists to exhibit at the Hermitage
Museum in St. Petersburg.

All of the way from the Ural
mountain region in Russia, this folk dance ensemble has come to take part in
several events at this year's Russian Heritage Month. This ensemble has been
known for its preservation of Siberian and Russian dance traditions for over 30
years.

Free admission with advanced reservation. Seating is limited and on a
first-come, first-serve basis. RSVP to info@russianamericanfoundation.org

June 25 (7pm) & June 26 (6pm)

Battles on Ice Hockey Matches

The annual Battles on Ice are friendship hockey matches between the New
York Fire Department Firefighters and Russia's EMERCOM Firefighters
Teams. These games serve as an important reminder of the sacrifices all first
responders make to safeguard the lives of everyday citizens and to commemorate
the unfortunate victims of terrorist acts in New York
and Moscow.